October 2015

Modern automobiles are safer than they have ever been. Advancements in technology has made travel far safer now than at any time in history. Even just the use of seat-belts reduces the risk of death in an accident by 61%! Automobile safety technology has continued to save lives and make driving more enjoyable.

One of the easiest safety advantages to add to your automobile is a rear-view safety camera. This not only helps you keep track of what's behind you in traffic, but also allows you to see blind spots and get assistance in backing out.

Car enthusiasts will tell you that their car is an extension of themselves and their personality. This is exactly why people go to such great lengths to customize their rides to their liking. Auto customization could mean adding cool new gadgets, building a custom auto body, or installing new rims among many other things.

When it comes to safety Camera Source customer Rick W. doesn't
compromise. Rick called looking for a complete trailer camera solution
that allowed him to see around his camper from virtually every angle so
we set him up with a comprehensive kit that fit his needs. We started
with a rear camera for his Dodge Ram pickup truck, which allowed him to
connect to his camper quickly and easily without having to get out of
the truck to line up the hitch every time. Rick opted for our license
plate camera model CS-ULPM since he had an older generation truck and
there wasn't an OEM style camera kit available, plus the license plate
camera is affordable and installs quickly and easily.

Over the years Toyota has done a wonderful job of installing the Tundra camera wiring at the factory. In fact, up until 2011 our plug and play camera kit would seamlessly connect to the Tundra camera wiring harness with ease! Our exclusive plug and play kit utilizes OEM Toyota components so everything fit and looks like it was installed at the factory.

However, starting in 2012 some of the Tundras were not prewired for camera making it more challenging to install an aftermarket camera system. To make matters worse the only way to really know if the camera is not wired all the way to the cab is to either tear out the a-pillar cover to locate the plug or do a continuity test on the chassis harness to ensure the pins go all the way through. The good news is that Camera Source has a solution for this problem since we now offer a full length harness that replaces the factory Tundra camera harness. It's available as an option from the OE fit Tundra camera product page, allowing our customers to select whether or not to include the factory plug and play Tundra camera harness or add our full-length camera harness to the order.

Backup cameras can do a lot more than just broadcast footage. Many come with a wide range of features that you may not know about. Not only are these features interesting, they also make the cameras safer, more functional, and pretty darn cool. Check out the top six backup camera features that will make you feel like you’re living in the future:

One of the most commonly asked questions by our customers is whether the camera system is CMOS or CCD. A common misconception is that CCD is better than CMOS, though in some camera systems this might be true, a carefully crafted CMOS chip can actually present a nicer image than the same camera with a CCD sensor. Before we get into why this is true lets first explain a little bit about each technology.

CCD (Charged Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) are two different technologies for capturing digital images. Both types of imagers convert light into electrical charge and process it into electrical signals. With the CCD each pixel's charge is transferred through a single output node (most common) to be converted to voltage and sent off as an analog signal. This simple architecture has proven itself over the years to be the most reliable in quality because it is not using additional resources to make the conversion and can dedicate the entire pixel to image capture. CMOS on the other hand is much more complex in that each pixel has its own charge to voltage conversion and the sensor includes other processes such as amplification and noise correction, which in turn can reduce the area available for light capture. This CMOS conversion process is where chip manufacturers have the leeway to either make a superior sensor, or just a run of the mill. This is determined not only by the quality of the base chip itself, but more importantly on how the chip is programmed.

For some people, when they look at a car they just see a car. For other people, when they look at a car they see an expression of individualism and craftsmanship. For the latter group, automotive customization is the art and science of bringing their vision to life.

You don’t need a new vehicle to make a statement. All you need is a little imagination and ingenuity. Fortunately if you live on the East Coast, there are plenty of custom auto shops that can take a vehicle and turn it into a masterpiece in motion. From restoring classic cars to award-winning sound systems, they can do it all.

Auto Design NYC - New York City

On a tragic day in 2002, pediatrician Dr. Greg Gulbransen was moving his SUV from the street to his driveway when he accidentally backed over his two-year-old son, Cameron. Ultimately, Cameron died from injuries he received in the accident. And Cameron is not alone. Two children die every week in backover accidents and many more are injured.

In larger vehicles especially, like trucks and SUVs, the blind spots are too large. If a small child gets behind a large vehicle, he cannot be seen by the driver. That is why backup cameras are such an important safety feature.

Sick of reading the same old boring car blogs? Car and truck enthusiasts rejoice! We have rounded up our top four favorite automotive blogs for your reading pleasure, and you are bound to find an article here that piques your interest. Get your car culture fix with these top automotive blogs.

Backup cameras are so effective at preventing accidents that they are becoming mandatory for car manufacturers by 2018. However, many trucks, SUVs, and other vehicles aren't equipped with them yet, and still more only include them in higher-level pricing packages.

If your vehicle doesn't have a backup camera, you can still take advantage of this life-saving safety feature by installing an aftermarket camera that's compatible with your vehicle. This installation must include a connection to an existing power source.